Employees Stage Sickout at FCIB

Audrey Matura-Shepherd

And that brings us to the mysterious illness which resulted in the closure of three FCIB branches – Belize City BelCan, Orange Walk and Belmopan, while two more on Albert Street and Dangriga operated with a skeleton staff. Matura-Shepherd says that the circumstances would be enough to sicken anybody, so the mass absence is completely understandable.

Audrey Matura-Shepherd, President, Christian Workers Union

“I know some of you all have been asking about a sickout. What I can tell you about this so-called sickout is that if you were in the position of the employees, and you find out on the tenth of September, the same day that the whole country is celebrating, that not only has the Governor given conditional approval but your government, your Prime Minister, your Minister of Finance to whom you have been writing, is going to pass a legislation without any prior discussion or anything with the union that has asked them to consult…you can only imagine how they felt, and the shock it has been. Because when we spoke to Mr. Parkhill on the third of August when he told us that the bank would be selling out, the projected day for that legislation to go through the National Assembly was October thirty-first, so clearly that gave us a sense of comfort that we would have had enough time to negotiate, but I believe that the powers that are involved with this negotiation and this sale clearly supersede the powers that these workers have. So I can imagine they all got sick indeed, because you would be sick to your stomach. How could you even work after you realize that from all angles you have been sold out?”

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